pork in shallots, sage and cider
rating:This is my version, which is close enough to Rick's for jazz, except I change it a bit at the end.
the ingredient list is a bit vague, as always with my cooking :)
finely chop some shallots, and some sage leaves, and mulch in a good lump of butter. Take some pork (I've used chops and escalopes with success), and score them in a sort of criss-crossed fashion on both sides, about ½" deep - We'll have no fancy foreign measurements here, thank you - and push the buttery mix into the meat. This is messy, there's no avoiding it.
heat a good frying pan on a medium heat - I use a cast iron one for this, personally. When it's hot, bung in the pork, and cook for - um - as long as it takes. Depends on how thick it is. I turn it frequently. You will find that the butter melts, and falls out of the pork - *do not be**alarmed*, this is quite normal. When the pork is almost cooked, bung in some decent cider - about ½" worth or so, and bubble everything for a few minutes until the meat is properly cooked. Then remove it, and place in a
covered dish in the oven to keep warm. Then reduce the buttery cidery stuff in the pan until it's the sort of consistency that you like.
the first time I did this, I reduced it too much, so I bunged a swirl or two of double cream in to bulk out the sauce. We liked it so much I've continued to do so ever since - it's probably very nice without, but we don't know :)
serve with sauté potatoes (see above) and steamed brocolli. Enjoy - lovely quick,light supper.